By Candlelight
by Galantria
Summary: Fred Weasly is a spy in a remote Indian city for the Order. But maybe he's not such an innocent prankster. Betrayal. Lies. Mystery. Maybe the twins aren't the only ones with a few tricks up their sleeves. AU.
1. Dust

**By Candlelight **

Fred Weasly arrived in Etah, India in the summer of 1993. The ground Fred stepped onto as he dismounted the tour bus was dusty. Soon his new white shoes would be coated in the stuff. _Isn't that my luck_, Fred thought as he tugged at his sweat soaked T-shirt. The city was hot, humid and colorful. This environment wasn't even that superior to the cramped bus from which he had finally emerged from after 7 damned hours. The seats were sticky. The bus smelled faintly of gasoline. The couple directly to his left looked ready to duke it out Jerry Springer style (not that Fred had any idea who Jerry Springer was, anyway.) All in all the bus ride was not exemplary and now, landed in this dust-filled town, Fred was not that optimistic about his new post.

_3 weeks ago._

_Finally. Fred and George Weasly were being treated as adults for the first time in their lives and damn, it felt good. Despite their mother's profuse objections, they were now official members of the Order of the Phoenix. And this was their first meeting. _

_"And so we come to the question of our young friends..." Mad Eye said as he eyed the twins in a predatory fashion._

_"Absolutely not!" said Molly. "They may be members, but they are still too young for assignments."_

_"Mum, we're ol- ," George started to protest._

_"Molly, they have been adults for nearly 2 years. Don't you think it's time to let them start acting that way?" Lupin interrupted._

_"Am I the only one with eyes? Look at these boys! They could barely manage to avoid expulsion and you want to let them volunteer their lives!"_

_"Molly..." Arthur murmured as he moved his hand to rest on his wife's arm. "They aren't little boys anymore."_

_A tear escaped from Molly's eyes. "I know..." She sighed and rested her hand in her hand as she closed her teary eyes._

_Severus Snape cleared his throat without the slightest bit of awkwardness after that emotional display. "Perhaps I can convince the Dark Lord that one is ready to serve as a Death Eater." Molly swallowed quickly and willed herself to keep silent._

_"A bit dangerous for a first mission, isn't it?" asked Sirius from the head of the table. "Perhaps something less delicate would be more appropriate."_

_"We could always use a spy in Hogsmead. Dumbledore's brother isn't always that helpful." suggested Tonks._

_"That will work," said Arthur. "I'll arrange a position as busboy with Rosemarietta for. . . George." _

_"You're separating us?" asked Fred._

_"Yes. We've given this some thought and two Weaslys anywhere would attract too much attention. What can I say? We're notorious blood traitors." Arthur told his son with a grin. _

_"Fred, we'll station you at a little hotel in Etah, India. After all, this war is global and Severus knows of some Etah mercenaries Voldemort's hired. It's not that much pressure, this job. You're a traveling magician, trying your luck on a new continent. Just poke your head around under that guise and let us know what you find." Mad Eye said._

_"Can't we go together?" asked George._

_"We've thought this through well and a separation would be best."_

_"Really, we'll work better as a team." prompted Fred._

_"I wouldn't know the palm of my hand without Fred's to look at," joked George._

_Severus sighed. "Molly, it seems you were right. These _children _could never fight in a war. Too afraid to be all alone." An ugly sneer crept up the twins' former teacher's face._

_"No," swallowed Fred. "We can go alone."_

present.

Fred navigated through the maze of skinny alleys towards the hotel Lupin had arranged for him. Colorful stalls and shops blurred together as Fred studied the crude map a man on his bus had drawn for him. The man had been sick and the paper smelled like it had been sprayed by a big wet sneeze. "You! You there! Ginger! Want to buy this bird?" Fred ignored the old man who was shouting this at him and holding up a sickly looking parrot. He was busy.

Tonks knew the owner of the hotel. He was aware of Fred's spy status but was unlikely to rat him out as he too was a spy. The hotel owner was a small, heavyset Indian man in his early 50s. He had a large family of small children and a traditional sense of both manners and decor. His children referred to him as Mr. Fred (false names were not needed on a different continent) and Fred's room was full of Hindi nicknacks. When the owner had learned who he was, he had let out a delighted sound half way between a squeal and a yelp and leaned in confidentially to whisper "I've been expecting you."

His real name was Ravi, but he went by Fyodor. As he told Fred this he pulled out a copy of _Crime and Punishment_ by Fyodor Dostoyevsky.

" It's for him," he confided in an excited whisper. "Best author in ze world. . . "

"Hm. Never tried him. More into _Goblin Slayer _by Horrase Sivleman." Fred replied conversationally.

_"_Really? Well, you might want to get some sleep, Mr. Magician." Fyodor chuckled.

_I think I like him, _thought Fred. _Could use some help in English and book taste...and decor, but not a bad guy. Not a bad guy at all. _

**A/N I'm not expecting to get many reviews on this one, but what can you do, eh? Writing's horrible, but I'm tired and I wanted to start this story. It will turn out to be noir and a bit dark, to boot. Obviously this isn't like my other stories, but I'm interested to try it. For all my CI, DKB readers, I am not abandoning them! Just taking a bit of a break. But I'll be back in like 2 weeks. K? Please have a heart and review. As a late Christmas present?? **

**Oh and happy new year! Cheers.**


	2. Beginnings

**By Candlelight**

**Chapter II: Beginnings **

_2 weeks ago._

_Fred Weasly slipped into the kitchen where his mother was using her wand to guide the knife slicing various vegetables absentmindedly while she flicked through _Witch Weekly. _The red-haired teenager leaned against the wall and sighed. Longer strands of his hair fluttered as the breath escaped from his mouth. Molly looked up slowly. She began to smile warmly at her son but was stopped by his pained expression._

_"Mum, George is sick."_

Present.

Fred stood at the street corner by the market. His purple cape was a bit obnoxious, especially paired with his flaming hair, but Fred wasn't the self conscious type. Oh no, which was probably the reason why he wasn't reluctant to prop up a huge sign reading "Fred the Magnificent" up on the curb and swoop around in his florescent robes like a big purple bat. The people here were mostly Muggles and convincing them that he was their type of crafty illusionist had only taken a couple flicks of his wand, hidden in his great purple sleeves.

Fred performed simple tricks -- making birds "disappear", conjuring coins, and the ever-classic bunny from a hat. These were typical Muggle tricks, easily attributed to slight of hand as opposed to real magic and Fred drew crowds of spectators without being suspected a true wizard. And besides that he had fun. To him it was little more than a joke. He astonished old men and children and flirted lightly with the girls and all the while narrating in a booming voice the "amazing illusions of Fred the Magnificent!"

"Come all and watch as I, Fred the Magnificent, present a beautiful rose to a beautiful girl!" Fred projected to the crowd who watched in amazement as a rose appeared in his hand. "For you," he told the blushing girl as he handed her the flower. She quickly scampered off into the streets, both embarrassed and satisfied.

Fred chuckled softly as he turned back to the crowd. Several people stepped forward to toss coins into his box and murmur appreciatively, but Fred wasn't watching them. He was staring into an alley catty-corner to the market. It was dark, but he could see two men conversing. One was smaller and looked slightly intimidated. The other figure was bigger, broader and waving what appeared to be a wand in the other's face.

The red head murmured his excuses to the crowd which had already began to disperse and began to walk towards the market. He stopped by the garment stall run by Fyodor's wife, Tanuja, to earn extra money. One of Fyodor's sons sat on the ground playing quietly with a turquoise cloth.

"Fred?" she asked.

"Hi, Tanuja. I need a place to, um, change. Can I use your stall?" Tanuja smiled.

"What? Finally tired of looking like a deranged bird?"

"You could say that." Fred grinned back.

"Sure go right ahead," Tanuja said as she lifted the orang cloth of her tent.

Once inside Fred pulled the old invisibility cloak Charlie had given him over his head and exited out the back. Like most things Fred had owned, it was a hand-me-down, originally his granddad's. After years of old clothes, though, Fred had learned to ignore the scuffles on shirts ad rips in jeans. In fact, apart from his new white shoes and purple robes, Fred didn't own anything that had always been his. He had at least always shared with George. Not that he cared.

_2 weeks ago._

_Molly Weasly burst into her twin sons' room with Fred trailing slightly behind her. She pulled back the curtains and harsh sunlight leaked into the room. George groaned on the bottom bunk of the bunk-bed. Molly strode towards the bed and lay a clammy hand on her son's forehead. Fred hung back. _

_"You're burning up. Fred, get your father."_

_By the time Fred had returned with Arthur George's face was beaded with sweat. He was thrashing on the bed as if possessed. Molly was kneeling in the corner with her head rested in her folded knees. She raised her red face to gaze at her husband and son._

_"I don't know what's wrong with him."_

_2 hours later George Weasly was checked into St. Mungo's. Several healers had been in to see him. They couldn't find what was wrong. One guessed that Charlie had brought back a foreign virus from Romania. Whatever the case was, they couldn't help him besides a couple doses of morphine for the pain and a tranquilizer for the convulsions. _

_Charlie was speechless. Molly was having a genuine meltdown. Arthur was quiet. And Fred was. . . calm._

_He never left his brother's bed. All he did was sit there, rocking gently, murmuring the same thing, over and over. _

_"I'll come get you. . . don't worry. . .I won't forget about you. . . no matter what. . ."_

_A nurse notified the family of George's death two days after they checked him in at 2:15 a.m. Fred had been the only one awake. _

**A/N I'd like to thank HPFanFictionFan, Reader-Writier and L123o123v123e123 for reviewing! You guys most definitely rock! . Weird chapter, I know. More on George later, but George fans don't threat. All is not as it seems...dundunDUN. Lol. **


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